A Lost Love
by Keith Martin Brown
Summary: You always take things for granted until they are gone


Staring out upon the city made me feel so alive. The stars lit up the street as if it was mid-day, but the emptiness reminded me that it was just after 2 am. Out in the distance car alarms were sounding, and I could just make out the sound of the clubs closing down until tomorrow. A smirk grew across my face as reality set in. Thinking back to the last couple of days, I could picture how everyone would react to the news.

My parents would of course act completely shocked. Not that they even bothered to pay attention enough to notice how I had been wasting away, or the sudden glint in my eyes as I told them goodbye this morning. To them, everything I did was an over-reaction to something that could easily be settled. "You let your emotions get the best of you" my dad's voice shouted inside my head. He always did say being emotional would kill me. Won't he be proud knowing he was right in the end.

I could already hear my friends cursing me. But none of them matter anymore. Even Michelle had turned her back on me, her last words still ringing in my ears. "Remember that I'll always love you. No matter what Sarah, Brett, Cindy, or I say." God that made me laugh so hard I nearly cried. And then to top it all off, she honestly thought I would believe it. Of course it was my fault, everything always is. I knew her and Brett were more than friends from the beginning, but i decided to ignore it unless she decided to come clean. "You're not dumb, you're the smartest guy I know." her words replayed in my head. I closed my eyes and sighed. If I really was as smart as she thinks, I would've gone with my instincts and never fallen for her.

I opened my eyes and realized I was committed to my plan. Looking out upon the city one last night, I prayed that 60 stories would be enough. "No pain", I whispered to myself. Then I slowly took the last step.

"God that was fun", Michelle said to Brett as they were leaving the club. Sarah and Cindy slowly followed behind them, planning what to do now instead of rushing home. Michelle was just about to suggest a place when her phone rang signaling she had a voicemail. "Stupid dead zones", she sighed as she contemplated checking it. As soon as she heard his voice she knew something was wrong. It had been a week since she'd last heard from Will. She knew she couldn't blame him for being hurt and upset, but she had hoped that they could've remained friends.

Sarah watched on as Michelle let her phone fall. As Michelle reached down to pick it up, there was no doubt in Sarah's mind who it had been. "What did he want?", Sarah asked as Michelle started dialing. Michelle ignored the question as she waited for him to answer. "I'm in town for the night", his voice echoed in her head. She knew Sarah would freak out if she told her. Sarah had wanted Will out of the picture; no ifs, ands, or buts. Michelle tried his number again, still no answer.

By now the group was just walking aimlessly. Michelle kept calling his number, continuously moving so she wouldn't freak out. Sarah was right behind her, still trying to figure out what the call had been about. Cindy and Brett just trailed behind, both wishing Michelle could just forget the stupid phone call and get back into the mood for fun.

Michelle looked up from the phone and realized that they were only a few blocks from where he said he was staying. She quickly turned around and stopped Sarah mid-sentence. "Look Sarah, He called to say he's in town for the night. I don't know why he's here, but he isn't answering his phone and I need to talk to him.", Michelle said without leaving room for an argument. "You don't fly 5 hours just to spend one night, so something is going on and I need to find out what.", she said turning towards Brett. She could see he wasn't happy with his plans for the night being ruined. "If any of you don't want to follow me, that's your choice. I'll see you guys tomorrow", she said as she quickly sprinted down the block.

Quickly Sarah joined her. "I told Cindy to take Brett home, he isn't exactly thrilled with you right now", Sarah stated. But Michelle wasn't listening, her mind only asking herself why he had called her.

As they turned the corner towards the hotel, both of them sped up. Two police cruisers were parked in front, making Michelle's heart speed up. As they reached the hotel Michelle convinced herself that everything was fine. Something had happened on the sidewalk, but it was just a coincidence. Will had nothing to do with it. She would get the woman at the front desk to call his room, and he would walk down a few minutes later looking half asleep.

Sarah stood against the wall waiting for Michelle to talk to the front desk. She was mad at Will. She was mad at Michelle. But she was also mad at herself. She knew she was the reason they had met. She sat there contemplating what would have been had she never introduced them. She almost missed Michelle falling to the floor in tears. As Sarah ran over to help her up, a police officer came over to see what the commotion was about. When Michelle had finally gotten herself under control, she told the officer who she was, and about the call she had received.

The officer returned a few minutes later after making a call to his boss. In his hand was an evidence bag. "I talked to my boss. Since there was no foul play involved, we decided that this isn't actually evidence, and that you should have it", he told Michelle as he removed an envelope with her name on it. As the officer walked away Michelle sat down and opened it. Inside was a single rose and a letter. Sarah quickly grabbed the letter to read it as Michelle broke into tears again.

The letter only consisted of a few lines. It read," Michelle, I love you and am sorry If I hurt you. I wanted to see you one last time, but maybe this way is better."

Right below Will's signature was a set of lyrics from a song he had dedicated for Michelle. "All because of you, I haven't slept in so long. When I do I dream of drowning in the ocean, Longing for the shore where I can lay my head down, Inside these arms of yours. All because of you, I believe in angels. Not the kind with wings, No, not the kind with halos, The kind that bring you home,When home becomes a strange place. I'll follow your voice, All you have to do is shout it out."

As Michelle walked outside, with Sarah holding her up, she looked around for the police officer. "Could I please go see him", she asked with tears rolling down her eyes. She slowly turned to Sarah. "Go home and hang out with Cindy and Brett, I'll talk to you tomorrow", she told her. She then slowly climbed into the police cruiser and left Sarah standing there alone. As she turned towards home, a tear started to form at the edge of her eye.


End file.
